The woman who keeps your favorite brands ahead of the curve reveals all: facial recognition software, how to vote with your credit card, and the smartest store on the planet.

Oh, what Don Draper could have accomplished with the help of a Jamie Gutfreund. As chief strategy officer at the Intelligence Group, she studies how we think, act, and, of course, shop, and delivers her takes on the latest trends to help companies such as Adidas, J Brand, and Gap move with the times—a skill that is all the more valuable now that the social media–mesmerized masses can smell a fake. "You can feel when a company is just, like, whipping out the iPads to try to be tech savvy, as opposed to really digging down deep and understanding who the new shopper is and what she or he really wants in that experience," says Gutfreund. That's where she comes in. "I help our clients identify the secret sauce that can get people to buy more." Here, she uses her powers for good:

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Why would online companies such as Piperlime and Shopbop bother opening brick-and-mortar spaces at this point in the game?

The purpose of a store is to discover something that you didn't know you wanted. You might feel something, you might have some sort of sensory recognition. Bur-berry did this incredible thing at its flagship store in London: All the clothing is tagged with radio-frequency identification [RFID] chips, so that when you pick up an item it triggers a screen and you can get more information about that piece; meanwhile, all the sales associates use iPads, so they get to know who you are through your shopping experience. For luxury goods, loyalty is about creating value beyond reason. What do I feel like when I walk into a Burberry store? Is this a brand for me? Do I need to spend 10 times more than I would elsewhere on a raincoat? Maybe, yes—if I know how it was made, I know the history, I know the brand means something, and I know my customer service experience was spectacular.

There's something so cleanup-in-aisle-five about that term—customer service.

I think it's more like talent management: Your experience of an entire brand can rest on the interaction you have with a 24-year-old salesgirl. Patagonia does it right—they walk the walk. Because the company is all about sustainability, it has chalkboards in stores so that employees can record their commutes, whether they rode their bikes, walked, or took a bus. That creates a pride that makes a big difference when you interact with them. It's contagious.

What's the next frontier?

In-store facial recognition software. The algorithms are going to get increasingly sophisticated, and there are [already] cameras everywhere. In theory, you'll be able to go into a store and its algorithm will recognize your face and link it to your credit card. There will be no more impersonations—your face is your ID.

I'm not sure I'm feeling that futuristic.

There's a fine line between relevant and creepy. "Digital empathy" is the idea of a company being able to anticipate that—to realize when it's pushing too far. But in terms of knowing where that line is, we're in the Wild West. For example, on the airline KLM, passengers who opt in can now view each other's social media profiles and choose who they want to sit next to. Is that good or bad? Depends on the customer.

Great! Another decision we have to make. Let's talk about some noncreepy innovations.

An area that's really fascinating is this move toward helping people make better decisions. eBay in the UK, for example, has started SecretGuru, a pilot program where it directs you to makeup artists or stylists or chefs or regular artists, like a really exclusive, high-end Craigslist. And in New York, Michelle Goad, an ex–Marc Jacobs and Barneys New York vet, started a company called PS Dept. It's like an army of stylists who work for various stores. Through the company's app, you develop a relationship with them, and they'll send you pieces that are currently in stores that you should know about.

I've heard you say that shopping is the new activism.

The idea that you just mindlessly spend money has evolved into the awareness that we are able to vote with our wallets. So, all things being equal, I'd much rather buy something that reflects well on me as a human being.

Does that mean we're becoming better people?

Nope, not at all. But if I need shoes, and I can buy Toms so somebody else gets a free pair, that's fantastic. It's social awareness and activism in a passive way. Now it's much easier to be more conscious about what you're buying, whether that's because you know one shirt is made better than another shirt, or because you use a wardrobe app on your smartphone that shows you that one shirt will go with four different pairs of your pants. Technology enables better decision making and a bigger impact, without even needing to think about it. That's the good news.

But the bad news is it's taking over our lives.

Every minute of every day is a shopping moment or an inspiration moment. I can get something right now. I could have it delivered in an hour. So people are starting to look for more of a story—more quality, more multiple-use items, more experience. Even H&M is starting to shift. It recently announced a buyback program that lets you donate your H&M clothing that's falling apart and get credits toward new clothes. It's about sustainability, but it's also connecting with customers on a fundamental human basis.

What's the single coolest store on your radar at the moment?

Have you been to Story [in New York City]? Its whole approach is to have a story attached to the merchandise, and what happens in-store is not something that you could experience online in the same way. I went to one event there, sponsored by GE, with 3-D printers in the store, and I got to make my own bracelet. 3-D printing is going to be a big deal. Think about anything you have that's made of plastic—you could design it yourself. Your folders, makeup cases, brushes, jewelry.

What's this Slow Web you've talked about in the past? Sounds like a tech problem!

It's technology meets what's going on in the world. The Web has been all about volume and speed. How much information can I get? How fast can I do things? How much content can I amass? But now people are looking to be less overwhelmed. They're starting to recognize that you can't subscribe to every Gilt, Jetsetter, etc. You hear many more anecdotes now about people logging off their RSS feeds and cutting down on the blogs they follow. It's not about FOMO—the fear of missing out—anymore. It's the joy of moving on.